pull the plug on

Discontinue, end, as in The government pulled the plug on that program . [First half of 1900s]
Remove all life-supporting equipment, as in The family debated whether it was time to pull the plug on him . [Second half of 1900s] Although this idiom undoubtedly alludes to cutting off electricity to an electrical device, it originally referred to the removal of a stopper that flushed an old-style toilet.

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Example Sentences

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The Grammy nominee, who has been an outspoken supporter for Palestinians, got frank about their stance in an Instagram video responding to Cornell’s recent decision to pull the plug on their concert.

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But, you know, when you pull the plug on something like that, it’s hard for me.

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But as we know, Trump wants to pull the plug on the whole thing, abandon Ukraine and let Putin stick the broken pieces of the Soviet empire back together.

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Pull the plug on Ukraine, and the message to every dictator, every authoritarian, every would-be invader around the world is clear: America can’t be trusted.

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Times, I was struck and unnerved by the decision to pull the plug on the endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris and to do it in a pretty brutal way.

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pull tab pull the rug out from under

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